Buggy-top.



W. I. ZIRKLE.

BUGGY TOP.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 11. 1010.

1,040,483. Patented Oct. 8, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHBET 1.

J5 JJ Z5 J0 Z] Witnesses 48% by W Attorneys I znvento W. I. ZIRKLE.

BUGGY TOP.

APPLICATION FILED APR.11.1910.

Patented Oct. 8, 1912.

a WMfi/ [a Inventor,

Attorneys 2 SHBETSSHEET 2.

lllllll Ar/ll WALTER I. ZIRKLE, 0F MIDDLETOWN, INDIANA.

BUGGY-TOP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 8, 1912.

Application filed April 11, 1910. Serial No. 554,827.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WVALTER I. ZIRKLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Middletown, in the county of Henry and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Buggy-Top, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to buggy tops or storm covers.

The object of the invention is to provide a buggy top or body which will effectually shield and protect the occupant of the vehicle from all kinds of bad weather and which can be readily opened and closed to afford ready access to and exit from the vehicle, and which can be likewise removed entirely from the body of the vehicle when it is desired to dispense with the same.

WVith the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made within the scope of the claim without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation of a vehicle body constructed in accordance with the invention, parts of the front and rear of the vehicle body being shown in section and the cover portions of the device being broken away so as to expose the skeleton or framework of the device. Fig. 2 is a front elevation partly in section of the construction illustrated in Fig.1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail View showing the lower end of one of the doors which is disposed on the outside of the vehicle body and is provided with an ant-ifriction means engaging the vehicle body to facilitate the opening and closing of the door. Fig. 4 is a vertical section partly in elevation through the upper end of the door and a part of the top of the body. Fig. 5 is a detail view showing the traveler for preventing swinging movement of the door. Fig. 6 is a detail view showing one of the rear corners of the seat with a strap or bracket by means of which the frame of the top is secured in position. Fig. 7 is a detail vertical section on the line 77 of Fig. 1. Fig. 8 is a section on the line 88 of Fig. 1.

Like reference numerals indicate corresponding parts in the different figures of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates the box or body of an ordinary buggy or other vehicle, and 2 the seat thereof.

The improvements of the present invention relate particularly to an improved top port-ion or cover which is detachably connected with the seat 2 and body. In the embodiment of the invention illustrated this removable top portion consists preferably of a suitable frame or skeleton provided with covering material of any desired character and having doors and windows therein formed with transparent port-ions which consist either of glass, isinglass or other material. This framework preferably includes a pair of side bars 3 which rest upon the upper edges of the side pieces 1 of the seat 2 as shown in Fig. 7. The means for securing the side bars 3 to the seat 2 in a readily detachable manner preferably consists of a plurality of brackets which are right angular in cross section as shown in Fig. 7 so as to provide horizontal flanges 5 which rest upon the upper edges of the side piece 4 of the seat, and vertical flanges 5 which rest against the inner surfaces of the side bars 3 and are secured thereto by means ofbolts 6 having heads 7 at the outer ends thereof and nuts 8 at the inner ends thereof. In addition. to the side bars 8, the frame of the cover includes a pair of rear standards or uprights 9, which are connected at their lower ends to the side bars 3 in any suitable manner and intermediate of their ends are secured to metal straps 10 which are fixed on the back 11 of the seat 2 as shown particularly in Fig. 6. In addition to the rear standards 9, the framework includes a pair of intermediate standards 14 and a pair of forward standards 15, the standards 14 and 15 extending downward to the side pieces of the body 1 and being curved inward adjacent their lower ends, as shown clearly in Fig. 2, said lower ends being secured in any suitable manner to the side of the body, and supported upon the uprights 9, 14 and 15 is the top or canopy 16.

Extending between the rear standards 9 and the intermediate standards 14 on the sides of the wagon, are longitudinal frame pieces 17 which, about midway between the upper and lower ends of the top, are separated from each other to provide space for an elongated side window.

The framework described preferably is covered with a water proof covering material 18 as shown in Fig. 4 of the drawing. It is to be understood that the front and rear windows may be of any suitable size, form and construction.

The space between the intermediate standards 14 and the forward standards 15 is used as a door opening, and this space is normally closed by a door which is made up of suitable framework consisting of the side bars '20 and 21, and the cross pieces 22, 23, 24, 26 and 27, the cross pieces 23 and 24 being separated from each other by a distance the same as that between the frame pieces 17-1 7 for providing a window opening in the door. For the purpose of supporting the door and permitting it to slide longit-udinallyon the sides of the buggy body, a track 28 is provided on each side of the body adjacent the top thereof, the track 28 being secured at its rear end at 29 to the rear standard 9 and at its forward end to the forward standard 15 as indicated at 30, the track 28, as shown in Fig. 4, being spaced away from the standards 9, 14 and 15 by means of the spacing blocks 31.

It will be observed by reference to Fig. 1 that the lower ends of the side standards and door frame are curved inward, the object being to permit the employment of a relatively wide top in conjunction with the narrow vehicle body. This will be found of importance, as it will afford for the user of the vehicle plenty of room for handling mail matter or the like.

The means for supporting the roller doors from the tracks preferably consists of a metallic strap or hanger 32 which is secured by means of the nails or screws 33 to the frame of the door, the water proof covering 18 of the door being interposed between the hanger 32 and the door frame, as shown in Fig. 4. The hangers 32 are two in number, and each at its upper end extends upward as indicated at 34, then over the upper surface of the track 28 as indicated at 35, then downward as indicated at 36 in parallelism with the portion 34 and then beneath the track as indicated at 37, the terminal 37 being disposed about midway of the track 28, and the upper surface of the door frame so as to hold the door in space upon the tracks 28. By reason of the fact that the track 28 is only connected at its ends as indicated at 29 and 30, it is spaced away from the intermediate standard 14 by means of the spacing blocks 31, and the hangers 32 are free to roll in the space between the track 28 and the upper end of the standard 14. Journaled in the portion 34 and 36 of the hanger is a grooved wheel 38 which engages the upper edge of the track 28. The

two grooved wheels 38 serve to permit the door to be rolled back and forth into open and closed position.

For the purpose of preventing rain from passing in between the door and the vehicle body, a shield 40 is employed, which is secured at its upper end at 41 to the cover 16 of the body, thence extends outward at an angle above the hangers 35 as indicated at 42, thence bent downward as indicated at 43 and at its lower end is bent into the shape of a trough or gutter 44, which serves to prevent the rain from passing downward on the outer surface of the doors. A guide member or track 45 is secured to the inner face of the lower portion of the shield by means of the bolts 46, and bears against the outer surface of the hangers 32 and serves to prevent outward displacement of the door.

The means for preventing the lower por tion of the door from swinging outward, preferably consists of a bar or rod 50 which is suitably secured at its ends to the side bars of the door as indicated at 51. The intermediate portion of the bar 50 is engaged by an eye 52 which is mounted on the intermediate bar 14, and in which when the door is being moved to open or closed position, the traveler or bar 50 slides. The door,

however, is always held against outward swinging movement.

The means for preventing and binding between the eyes and rods preferably consists of the antifriction rollers 55 which are mounted in brackets 56 carried by the lower inner surface of the door and bear against the outer faces of the body 1 of the vehicle.

The front end of the framework improvements of the present invention preferably is constructed with standards or uprights 60 which extend upwardly from the lower, inwardly curved ends of the standards or uprights 14. The standards 60 are connected with each other by the cross pieces 61, 62 and 63, space being left above the.

cross piece 61 to provide a suitable window frame, and arranged between the uprights 60 and the standards 14 are short cross pieces 64.

The outer surface of the uprights 15 at the front end of the wagon preferably are disposed in the same plane with the outer surface of the two roller doors, so that when said doors are in closed position their forward ends will abut against the forward standards or uprights 15.

It will be noted that by arranging the roller doors so that their lower ends will be on the outside of the body portion a great deal of space is saved and the doors are permitted to roll back to practically the rear end of the seat 2. For this reason a very wide door opening is provided and the standards 14 which define the rear end of the door opening, are arranged practically midway between the rear standard 9 and the forward standard 15.

The improvements of the present invention are strong, simple, durable and inexpensive in construction as well as thoroughly eflicientin operation.

What is claimed as new is A vehicle top comprising a frame having forward and intermediate standards curved inward at their lower ends and arranged to be secured to the sides of the vehicle body, rear standards extending downward and arranged to be connected with a vehicle seat, side bars arranged to be connected with the vehicle seat and with the rear and intermediate standards, a covering for the framework, slidable doors having their lower ends curved inward to correspond substantially with the curvature of the framework, rods secured to the side bars of the doors, and eyes carried by the frame standards and engaging the rods, and friction rollers carried by the doors and working against the vehicle body to prevent binding between the rods and the eyes.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto afiixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

WALTER I. ZIRKLE.

Witnesses:

FRANK A. \VISEHART, S. B. SLICK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

